Milford, Ind., March 3, 2011 – Brock Grain Systems’ M-Series™ Commercial Grain Storage Bins were honored recently as one of the 50 recipients of the 2011 AE50 Awards, presented by ASABE – the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The annual award recognizes the world’s best technology innovations introduced the previous year for the agricultural, food and biological systems industries.

Brock Grain Systems was one of many companies from around the world to submit an entry to the annual AE50 competition, where up to 50 of the top products are chosen by a panel of international engineering experts. The judges select products that will best advance engineering for the food and agriculture industries, and emphasize the role of new products and systems in bringing advanced technology to the marketplace. These engineering developments help farmers, food processors and equipment manufacturers cut costs, enhance quality and increase profits.

“Being recognized with this honor means that all of the time, work and dedication our engineers and employees provide to our customers and the agricultural industry is truly valued as our product innovations continue to move the industry forward,” said Doug Niemeyer, Vice President and General Manager for Brock Grain Systems. “We look forward to continuing to do our part in 2011 to offer the best, most innovative solutions to the grain storage industry.”

About the M-Series™ Commercial Grain Storage BinsBrock’s M-Series™ Commercial Grain Storage Bins feature single bin capacities of over a million bushels and are available in two diameters. The 156‐foot (47.5-m) diameter M-Series™ Bin models have a storage range from 995,000 to 1.34 million bushels (25,278 to 34,000 metric tons) with a 50,000‐pound (22,700‐kg) roof peak load, while the 132‐foot (40.2-m) diameter bin models offer single bin capacities ranging from 688,000 to 1.18 million bushels (17,476 to 29,966 metric tons) with a 40,000‐pound (18,150‐kg) roof peak load.

Brock’s 50‐plus years of experience guided the development of a number of innovations for the M-Series™ Bins. These include: -- The M-Series™ Bins' free‐span roof structure that does not need to rely on center support towers.-- Brock's new structurally superior SMOOTHCORR® Sidewalls, which have a smooth interior surface coupled with a corrugated exterior surface. -- Brock’s FULL SWEEP® Bin Anchoring System that enables the use of a single‐pass bin sweep system for getting grain safely out of the bin without the need for a front‐end loader.

Free‐Span Roof StructureThe Brock M-Series™ line’s free‐span roof was engineered to handle ground snow loads of up to 50 pounds per square foot (2.4 kPa) and up to 52 temperature cables at 1,500 pounds (680 kg) per cable while still maintaining the stated external roof peak loads. Without requiring extra reinforcement, the bins’ roof peak load capacity also supports the larger 40,000‐ and 50,000‐bushels‐per‐hour (1,000- and 1,270-metric-tons-per-hour) conveyors needed for the higher grain flow rates the larger bins use. Brock’s engineers designed the rafters, purlins and their connections to better handle the rigors of high peak‐load demands coupled with snow and temperature cable loading. The roof incorporates convenient temperature cable attachment locations built into the rafter system. The special rafter and purlin connections unite the roof structure in a way that more fully strengthens the roof to resist bending forces and to more efficiently handle unbalanced snow loads.

SMOOTHCORR® SidewallsAnother unique Brock feature for this family of larger bins is the SMOOTHCORR® Bin Sidewall design. The outside of the sidewall body sheets features the typical narrow‐corrugation bin sidewall. However, instead of laminating or overlaying corrugated body sheets with one or two more corrugated body sheets as others have done, Brock’s SMOOTHCORR Sidewall System has attached a smooth‐wall body sheet to the inside of the corrugated sidewall. The company has a patent pending on the SMOOTHCORR Wall design.

Brock’s exclusive SMOOTHCORR Sidewall construction approach provides a stronger overall body sheet with excellent wind load resistance. The smooth inner sidewall surface allows grain to more easily flow down and out of the bin, reducing load stresses on the bin’s sidewall, stiffeners and footer. The air trapped in the corrugations between the two body sheets contributes insulation value to the sidewall which can help preserve grain quality.

The paired approach to the SMOOTHCORR Sidewall construction also permits Brock to interlace the overlapping body sheets for superior strength connections and load transfers from the body sheets to the sidewall stiffeners. The interlace design’s stronger connections on the vertical seams also permit using fewer bolts and help to reduce bin assembly time.

FULL SWEEP® Bin Anchoring SystemBrock’s FULL SWEEP® Bin Anchoring System allows for the safe operation of single-pass sweeping on all BROCK® Commercial Grain Storage Bins, saving both time and labor and eliminating the need for bin entry during the sweep process. The FULL SWEEP Bin Anchoring System (patent pending) utilizes Brock’s heavy base angle that is now standard on all BROCK Grain Bins 72 feet (22 m) in diameter and larger. The heavy base angle:-- Accommodates the horizontal shear loads generated by the single-pass sweep process and aids in the transfer of horizontal shear loads from seismic activity.-- Transfers the shear loads efficiently to the foundation with the aid of anchor rods placed in pre-punched holes.-- Bolts to pre-punched holes in the bin sidewall body sheets quickly and easily.

The M-Series™ Commercial Grain Storage Bins from Brock Grain Systems will be featured in the March/April 2011 special AE50 issue of ASABE’s magazine, Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World.

About ASABEThe American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) is an educational and scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering and technology for sustainable agricultural, food, and biological systems. Members are consultants, educators, executives and others who uniquely understand the interrelationships between technology and living systems. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in St Joseph, Michigan, ASABE comprises 9,000 members from more than 100 countries. For further information, contact ASABE, 2950 Niles Rd, St Joseph, Michigan, 49085.

About Brock Brock Grain Systems is a part of CTB, Inc., family of companies. Based in Milford, Indiana (U.S.A.), CTB is a leading global designer, manufacturer and marketer of systems and solutions for the grain, poultry, pig and egg production industries. Its products and services are “Helping to Feed a Hungry World®” through improved efficiency and air quality management in the care of poultry and livestock as well as in grain storage, handling, conditioning and drying. Founded in 1952, CTB has been dedicated to “Leadership Through Innovation®” throughout its history. The company operates from multiple locations in various countries around the world and serves its customers through a worldwide network of independent dealers and distributors. CTB’s Web address is www.ctbinc.com, and Brock Grain Systems’ Web address is www.BrockGrain.com.

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